How To Make Homemade Croutons

Easy25 minsQuick

Learn how to make homemade croutons from scratch with this simple, customizable croutons recipe.

Have leftover bread?

Make croutons! ♡

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Homemade croutons are just about the easiest thing ever to make, and a million times better than anything you can buy at the store. They’re also easy to customize with whatever seasonings you might be craving, they can be made with any kind of bread that you have on hand (including gluten-free), and they’re easy to make as large or small, soft or crispy, plain or seasoned as you might prefer. Plus, if you’re trying to eat more greens in your life, I’m convinced that having a fresh batch of croutons around is one of the best motivators to toss together a quick salad. Or they’re also delicious for topping a fresh bowl of tomato soup or gazpacho (<– new recipe coming tomorrow, stay tuned!) this time of year.

So grab that leftover bread, and let’s bake up a quick batch!

Homemade Croutons Ingredients:

To make homemade croutons, you just need three main ingredients:

Bread: Ideally at least a day or two old, any variety will do.

Olive oil: Or melted butter, if you prefer.

Seasonings: Totally up to you! I always, always add garlic powder to my croutons. Plus salt and black pepper. But any other seasonings are up to you! I often turn to Italian seasoning or blackening seasoning, and will occasionally sprinkle on some Parmesan cheese too.

How To Make Croutons:

Simply:

Dice your bread: Choose whatever size of cubes you prefer, either cut with a knife or torn into small chunks by hand. It’s just important that the croutons be uniformly sized so that they cook evenly.

Toss with oil and seasonings: In a large bowl, drizzle the bread evenly with the oil and seasonings. Then toss until evenly combined.

Spread out on a baking sheet: Turn the croutons out onto a parchment-covered baking sheet, and spread out in a single layer.

Bake until crispy: Flipping the croutons once halfway through baking. Then baking until they croutons reach your desired level of crispiness. (If they start to get too brown, lower the heat and let them bake lower and slower.)

Serve or store: Then serve immediately. Or let the croutons cool until they reach room temperature, then store in a sealed container for up to 2 weeks.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.

In a large bowl, evenly drizzle the olive oil over the bread chunks. Then evenly sprinkle the Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt and pepper over the bread. Toss gently until well-combined.

Spread the bread cubes out in a single layer on a baking sheet.

Bake until golden, turning once halfway through cooking in order to brown all sides of the croutons. Cooking time will depend on the thickness of the cubes, so watch to be sure that they do not burn. (Mine generally take between 15-20 minutes.)

Remove from oven, and let cool completely. Use immediately, or store in an air-tight container for up to 1 week.

These croutons are spot on! And the oven is so much less time consuming than the sautee pan as well as providing even heat to avoid burnt or under toasted croutons. Especially liked the effect of spraying the oil.

This worked wonderfully, I ran out of crouton’s had four or five slices of various bread, didn’t need that much.. Did not have a mister, so I took the pump spray out of a spray butter bottle and put some Olive Oil in a cup and sprayed the cubes, worked great, sea salt, a little bit of pepper, lots of garlic salt, and some Kraft Italian dressing, it works wonders. I’m off an running now, looking for day old bread on discount at the store and some cheap olive oil. Thanks for the tip !

We always make our own croutons for Caesar salad. Experience has taught us that store bought sliced white bread, the kind you would never normally choose , “Villager brand in Canada”, makes the best croutons. This bread seems to hold together better and is not as crumbly. We always keep some in the freezer and often use a sauté pan when we don’t want to turn on the oven.

Made these croutons out of leftover garlic, green olive and rosemary skillet bread, which I made in a cast iron skillet. Absolutely out of this world results! Can’t wait to have my Caesar salad tomorrow either a croutons. Great recipe. A keeper for sure!!!

Hey, I’m Ali!

My favorite thing in the world is spending time around the table with good people and good food. So I created this blog full of simple, speedy, and irresistibly delicious recipes that are perfect for sharing with those you love. ♥ more about me »